Last week I did two things I hate doing – got a haircut and clothes shopping. In fact, I did both in the same day. It was exhausting but glad to get both knocked out together. I mean if I must do it, then it’s best to get both over with as quickly as possible.

It has been at least two years since my last hair cut. Sure I whack on it occasionally and it shows. Hence the real reason I needed a hair cut. I had a lot of split ends naturally. I was given the following advice on how to take better care of my hair.

First, do not wash your hair with hot water. That is apparently a no no. You should use lukewarm water. Hot water can cause damage to your hair. I always wash my hair in a very hot shower. Lesson learned.

Do not brush your hair wet. Use a comb as a brush will cause split ends. I bought a wide-tooth comb as I find these to work the best with my hair. Surprisingly the comb works very well for my daughter with her long, tangled hair.

Finally use a good shampoo. I have been using whatever is on sale at the time I am buying shampoo. I picked up one that formulated for oily hair. We’ll see if that really makes a difference. I do like the way it smells because it reminds me of a salon.

I hope by following this advice that this will help my hair have less split ends.

This week Rae is making her Christmas list. She is very excited. I remember making my list. It was so much fun. While she makes her list, I work on my Christmas shopping list. Through the years, I seem to rely more on Black Friday deals for the bulk of my shopping list. Ten years ago you couldn’t have paid me to go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now I start looking forward to it weeks before the big shopping day.

The first thing I do is to find as many leaked Black Friday flyers as possible. There are numerous websites devoted to this. Then I began to make my list from there and adjust when the flyers are released for our area. Usually they are identical. Then I prioritize my list. Which items are the best bargains and/or on the top of the Christmas list.

Some stores open extremely early. Wal-Mart usually begins their sale at 5am. In recent years, they have improved their delivery system of big ticket items. But you will still probably have to wait in line for anything related to electronics. This costs valuable shopping time. One Black Friday I stood in line for 30 minutes for a portable DVD player. It was well worth it since we have really gotten our money’s worth from it, and it still works. I tend to hit Wal-Mart first and grab those items that are on the floor. Then I try to be at Target at 6am since they sell out fast of video games and other hot items. Then I usually come back to Wal-Mart since the waiting lines are much shorter. It’s a risk but they usually still have what I’m looking for still in stock.

Wal-Mart and Target are about the only stores I hit on Black Friday. Sometimes I check out Best Buy. If I’m feeling brave then I got to Toys R Us. I need to finish making my Christmas list so I know what I need to look for when the flyers are available. I’m so behind this year.

What are your Black Friday plans? Any tips or specials you are hoping to snap up this holiday?

There are some shirts that I could wear everyday. I have a long sleeve hoodie shirt that I practically live in during the winter. The problem is that after 10 years, it’s beginning to show its age. The cuffs are falling off and there are more holes in the shirt than there are in swiss cheese. But try as I might, I just can’t part with it. This year, I plan to find a replacement t-shirt hoodie and finally retire this shirt that has meant so much to me most of my adult life. It won’t be easy but I think it’s time.

One way to recycle old t-shirts is to use them as dusting rags. Just cut up the shirt into pieces to use for dusting or other household cleaning.

You could also make rugs or other items from your old t-shirts. I have been wanting to make a rug but need to look up some instructions on just exactly what to do. You can crochet with t-shirt strips to make bags, bowls, and other household items. I have yet to try this but am definitely interested in doing it since baskets are such a versatile storage item.

Part of our daily routine has become at least one dip in the pool. Of course, before we get in, I put sunblock on both my little girl and me. There are two ingredients that are used in the United States to make true sunblock – zinc oxide and titanuim dioxide. The Coppertone for Kids is sunscreen. The Banana Boat Baby is sunblock and lists titanium dioxide as one of its ingredients(in the whopping list of inactive ingredients). So it’s good to know that our sunblock does contain titanium dioxide. Here is a website that lists some kids sunblocks as well as sunscreen/sunblocks.

The past week has been very warm here. It seems that summer temperatures are fast approaching and are here to stay for a while. So with that in mind, it’s time to get prepared for summer. Here are a few items on our must have for summer list.

Sunblock

This is a must have item if you are spending anything outdoors. For myself I use the Skin MD sunscreen on my face before heading outside. For the toddler, we buy a nice high SPF sunscreen. This year we are going to try Coppertone Bug & Sun Sunscreen With Insect Repellent SPF 30. It is a sunscreen and insect repellent all rolled into one product. This would help make things a lot easier if we just have to apply one lotion to the toddler on the run instead of two.

Insect Repellent

Even if we get the Coppertone Bug & Sun, it can’t hurt to pick up some insect repellent. When Raegan was little, the pediatrician said that I could spray her clothes with a stronger insect repellent since it would deter insects and not irritate her skin. So I usually pick up some Off Family insect repellent and some Repel to spray her clothes and around the playground perimeter.

Citronella

Citronella candles stay on our porch in the summer. They not only give some ambient light but do help to keep the mosquitoes away.

Anti Itch Cream

I stock up on products like Benadryl Cream for bites and Bactine for scratches. Rae can’t step outside without being bitten. To keep her from scratching, I use an anti-itch cream. She also runs more in the summer and consequently falls more. Since she usually has on shorts, she has more skinned knees that need a little TLC and Bactine.

Germ X or other hand sanitizer

Raegan believes that Germ X makes everything better. She falls down, she wants Germ X. She bumps her head, she wants Germ X. It is handy to have on picnics, at the park, or just outside. Since we will be doing a lot more outside, it’s time to stock up on a few bottles to have it handy wherever we may be.

Those are just a few things we will be stockpiling for the summer. What are some items that will be in plenty at your home this summer?

Spring is definitely in the air. Soon summer will be here and so will the warm weather. Now is the time get your feet ready for sandals. I have already found the pair of sandals I want from Zappos. Now I just need to get my feet ready to wear these gorgeous sandals. My feet need a lot of TLC after a winter stuck in socks and sneakers.

I love using my pumice rock to help with callouses and dead skin on my feet. It doesn’t hurt to use it and works fast. I can tell a major difference just after using it once.

Twice a day I use emu oil on my feet. Emu oil is good for cracked feet. It’s also inexpensive at only $3 a jar at the drug store. A little goes a long way so the emu oil will last for a while. It also works well even though it takes a few days to notice any difference. That’s why it’s important to begin now to get your feet in shape for summer. It’ll take time.

Now that I’ve found a pair of sandals, I have the motivation to keep at a beauty routine for my feet. Hopefully my feet will look good by the time summer gets here.

So how are you getting your feet ready for sandal season? Share your tips by leaving a comment.

Have you ever noticed the different color bread ties and wondered what that was all about? I had noticed but thought it was just for different breads like how milk has different color caps. Well that’s not the case but there is meaning behind it.

The colored bread ties signify which day the bread is delivered to the store. Bread is usually delivered five days a week. Most bread makers use blue to mark Monday and then proceed alphabetically for the rest of the week. Green on Tuesday, red on Thursday, white on Friday, and yellow on Saturday. Some bakeries may use a different system, so this may not be the case all the time.

So, the next time you see bread being delivered to your local store, check those bread ties. It’s always nice to have a side quest when grocery shopping. Today I bought bread with a red tie. Today the bread man was there but didn’t think to check the bread ties. From now on I will be as I love fresh bread.

This week many people will be heading to the grocery store to gather supplies needed for the big game this weekend. The Super Bowl is the major football event of the season. The game might be the same length, but everything else will be longer – pre-game show, halftime show, and post-game show. Guests will be over for hours and hours, so it’s important to have good snacks on hand to feed everyone.

Nuts are a good crowd pleaser. You can do mixed nuts, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, etc. They are filling food and also good for you within moderation of course.

Sandwiches should be on the menu as guests will be there for hours and hours. You can do it like a buffet spread and let guests fix their own. Also ask them to bring something to contribute. It’s less prep for you. There’s no need to spend hours in the kitchen preparing for the big game. Take it easy and make sure you enjoy all the fun, too.

Chips are a must even if they aren’t the best for you. Nachos and cheese feed a bunch and are easy. Just put some Velveeta in the crock pot for a few hours and you are done. Add some Rotel tomatoes to add some kick to it.

A fruit and vegetable tray is also a good choice. Instead of buying one, make it with your guests favorites. It will give your more food for the same amount of money. Shop at your local fruit stand for great prices on the freshest ingredients.

The Super Bowl is fast approaching and already friends are making plans where to watch the big game. No doubt if you have a big TV and comfortable seating, your home is an ideal place to watch one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Before the big game, you need to prepare your home and yourself for the football fans.

Football fans are an energetic bunch especially when everything is on the line. Prepare your home by removing those breakable heirlooms. The last thing anybody wants is Grandma’s vase from Italy broken during a bad call from the referee. So if you some nice items displayed in your living room, remove them before the guest arrive.

Of course you’ll be cleaning the bathroom. But you may want to keep an extra toilet paper roll in plain sight. That way if the roll runs out, guests will easily find another roll and won’t go rummaging through your bathroom. If your bathroom is like mine, that’s the last thing you will want guests to do! To keep your toilet clean, use one of those toilet cakes for the tank. We personally like Toilet Cleaning Gel by Scrubbing Bubbles. It lasts for around seven days and has a very strong, clean smell – perfect for keeping the bathroom fresh even with a lot of company.

Clean out the fridge to make room for beer and other beverages your guests may be bringing. You might want to even consider using a cooler with ice if you don’t have the room to spare.

Oh and don’t forget to clean the TV. Remove any fingerprints and dust particles with either a microfiber cloth for LCD screens or a Swiffer duster for older televisions.

Now that the house is ready for the big party, let’s talk about snacks. Tomorrow I’ll talk about some great idea for snacks for the ultimate football party.

It has been one cold week here and across the country. When it is extremely cold, it makes me realize just how we are not prepared for cold weather. So now that we will have a reprieve for a few days of the bitterly cold, or at least I hope so, it will be time to winterize our home.

First we will seal all drafts. Drafts are bad under the door and the floor vents. I’m crocheting something to keep the draft from coming under the door. We will most likely need a rug for the vents. The windows are a bit trickier. We do have some expanding foam for windows that we might as well give a try.

Right now I hear that we still have a mouse. He is in the walls as I can hear the little bugger scrambling around. Ugh. Guess it’s time to seal up any holes around the baseboards and put out several mouse traps. We also need to clear out gutters and debris from around our house. Hopefully we catch this rodent and keep others from coming in.

We use our ceiling fan in the winter to help spread the heat around. Just set it to turn the opposite direction. In fact, ours needs cleaning before we use it again. We want to spread heat, not dust!

Our floors are extremely cold. Rugs help but they can’t cover the whole house. My house shoes do help but my feet are still cold sometimes. I found a winter pair of clog-knockoffs that are fleece-lined. Those shoes are really warm and keep my feet from touching the cold floor. Best $5 I’ve spent in a while.

The cold days make me really appreciate my grandmother’s quilt and our small heater that keeps the feet warm while watching TV. I really can’t stand cold weather and will be glad to see Spring.